Set Fire to the Rain
by Zaikia
Summary: Nibelheim was burning down…..I was too late from stopping him from finding out his origins. But I'm not too late to bring him back.


**Set Fire to the Rain**

**Summary: **Nibelheim was burning down…..I was too late from stopping him from finding out his origins. But I'm not too late to bring him back.

**Game: **Final Fantasy VII

**Category: **drama/romance

**Pairing: **SephirothxShell

…

_I let it fall, my heart_

_And as it fell, you rose to claim it_

_It was dark and I was over_

_Until you kissed my lips and saved me_

The fire burned the town. Nibelheim, Cloud's hometown. I had known something was deadly wrong, just not right. When Cloud had told me he and the others were going to Nibelheim, I didn't make anything of it.

Until I remembered one hour ago.

I shook my head in disbelief, the corpses strewn around me. Blood covered the ground and pooled around my feet. "Seph…..what have you done?"

"Hey!" a male voice called and I looked over at saw Zangan, caring for that one boy who wanted and got a picture of Sephiroth. "Are you still sane?"

I swallowed and nodded, then rushing over. "What…..happened here…?" there was a lump in my throat as I attempted to speak.

"Sephiroth went crazy." Zangan answered. "He found out something at the Shinra Mansion and then came out and started killing everyone! I told Tifa not to go to the reactor, but her father was up there!"

My eyes widened. "Tifa!" and then I headed off towards the reactor, my katana bumping against my leg as I ran. I ignored Zangan's yells for me to come back and hoped I wasn't too late.

_This is my fault! If I wasn't so distracted, I would've stopped them all from coming! _I thought, tears stinging the corners of my eyes.

I just hope I get there in time.

Breathing heavily, I finally came to the reactor and saw a man, Tifa's father on the ground, dead. "Oh-no…." I whispered and ran inside, just to see Sephiroth grab his Masamune from Tifa. "WAIT!"

The sickening sound of someone's flesh being sliced would always forever stay in my mind. Tifa gasped, her eyes wide with horror when the silver-haired man slashed her across her torso and she was tossed down the stairs.

"Tifa!" I cried and ran to her. "Oh god….." I whispered as I looked at her wound. She was bleeding, not heavily, but there was going to be a scar. She was alive, but unconscious. I looked up at the silver-haired man and his emerald eyes glared down at me, showing a murderous intent in them.

_My hands, they're strong_

_But my knees were far too weak_

_To stand in your arms_

_Without falling to your feet_

I carefully moved Tifa away from the scene and approached him. "What have you done?" I questioned.

"I am the Chosen One for this planet and I will kill anyone who gets in my way." He replied coldly.

I sighed and brought out my sword. "So be it. Mega-!" before I could continue, he appeared right in front of me and slid his katana cleanly through my right side, causing me to gasp. He picked me right up with Masamune still in my side and tossed me to the left. I slid off his katana and rolled on the ground before coming to a complete stop.

My katana was still in my hands and I struggled to speak. "C-cur-." My scream cut off my sentence when a boot came down on my arm, shattering the bone. "MEGA FLARE!"

Bahamut did its work and roared before vanishing. Sephiroth stumbled a bit, but was otherwise unharmed. He glared down at me and then reached down with his right hand, grabbing the front of my shirt and lifting me up effortlessly. He twisted his katana to the side and-.

"SEPHIROTH!"

Both the silver-haired man and I were surprised to see Zack, glaring intensely at him. "Put her down!"

I was dropped and the two went at it. I cast a level 2 Cure on my arm and then grabbed my katana, heading up to the JENOVA room. I quickly cut away the obstacle blocking my way and up to the tank. The floating woman inside seemed to glare at me. "This is your entire fault. Well, no more. I'm bringing him back." And I thrusted my katana into the glass.

_But there's a side to you_

_That I never knew, never knew_

_All the things you'd say_

_They were never true, never true_

_And the games you play_

_You would always win, always win_

The green liquid came pouring out of the glass as it shattered into a hundred shards. I quickly yanked the body out and sheathed my katana, heading towards the pit. Sephiroth noticed and came towards me, but I held the body over the Mako pit and he stopped.

"One more step and I drop it." I warned. "Zack, are you alright?" I asked as he got up.

"Yeah, just a little cut." Zack replied, blood smeared on his forehead from the cut on his forehead. "You?"

"I'm fine." I replied and looked at the silver-haired man in front of me.

"Give her to me." He demanded, taking a step closer.

My eyes narrowed and I took a step closer to the edge. "No."

"Give mother back to me!" he nearly screamed and lunged at me. I quickly moved to the side and shouted at Zack.

"Zack, catch!" I shouted and threw Jenova's head to him. Zack easily caught the head in his hand. "Don't let him grab it! SHIT!" I cursed and ducked before Masamune could cleanly slice my head off. "Fire3!" I shouted and a giant flame of fire came out of my katana and set the place ablaze.

_Boy, I just signed my fate with death. _I thought as Sephiroth turned to me, a murderous intent in his eyes.

_But I set fire to the rain_

_Watched it pour as I touched your face_

_Well, it burned while I cried_

'_Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name! _

"Seph…" I whispered his nickname.

"Shell, move!" Zack hurried to me and grabbed my arm, pulling me out of the way as a large beam came down and on the silver-haired man instead, pinning him down. "C'mon! We gotta get out of here!"

"But what about-?!"

"There's no time! I gotta grab Tifa!" He threw Jenova's head into the Mako Pit and we hurried downstairs. Zack picked up Tifa's unconscious form and we hurried outside, both of us coughing and wheezing for breath.

"Tifa!" Cloud cried out her name as he ran to us. "Tifa!"

"She's okay, just unconscious!" Zack handed Tifa's form to Cloud and he cradled her like a newborn baby.

All of a sudden, the reactor from behind us made a loud explosion sound and I gazed at it, watching as it was completely engulfed in flames. "Seph…" I whispered and completely dropped everything I had, bolting up to run to the reactor, but Zack grabbed my arm. "Zack, let me go!" I shouted.

"You can't do anything for him Shell!"

"I can't let him die! Let go of me!" I screamed and kicked Zack in the side. He immediately let go to clutch his side and I ran up the stairs and into the reactor.

_When I lay with you_

_I could stay there_

_Close my eyes_

_Feel you here forever_

_You and me together_

_Nothing is better_

"Seph!" I exclaimed as I saw him still pinned by the beams. Masamune was nowhere in sight, but his katana was not in any of my worries right now. I had limited time to get him out of here before we either passed out and burned to death, or died from smoke. I went to go touch the beams, but my hand immediately reacted from the fire and I yelped, pulling my hand back.

_I can't afford to be weak now! _I thought and quickly got my hands underneath the beam. "Just hold on!" I struggled to lift the beam, but found it quite difficult. "Damnit!" I swore when the beam slipped out of my hands.

I crawled before him and grabbed his wrists, trying to drag him out. But instead, I found myself flying through the air and when I hit the wall, something stabbed through my shoulder completely and I screamed out in pain when I found myself hanging there. Tears of pain rolled down my face. If the fire wasn't going to kill me, Sephiroth will.

Through blurry vision, I saw him throw the beam off his back and he called Masamune to him. I struggled even more to get loose, but I just gave up and clenched my eyes shut as I waited for the final strike.

But….

It never came.

"Shell…?"

'_Cause there's a side to you_

_That I never knew, never knew_

_All the things you'd say_

_They were never true, never true_

_And the games you play_

_You would always win, always win_

I opened my eyes and the man in front of me didn't look so murderous anymore. He looked like the old Sephiroth, the one I came to know.

More tears spilled down my cheeks. "Seph…?" I reached out to him and suddenly screamed out. My shoulder felt like it was on fire!

"Hold on." He spoke and thrusted Masamune into the metal so it stood up straight. He placed his hands on my sides and without much effort, lifted me off the metal that protruded from my shoulder and I cried out when my shoulder was finally free. "Shell, I-."

"No!" I latched myself to him, my arms around his neck. "Don't say it! I know what you're going to say, it's not your fault. It's Jenova's…she isn't your mother!" I tightened my grip on him and he stiffened. "I don't know what I can do to bring you back to me completely, but I have to try." I sniffled and looked up at him. "I….."

"Shell, I-." he began, but I interrupted him.

"I love you. I always have." I finally confessed and then I slammed my lips onto his.

_But I set fire to the rain_

_Watched it pour as I touched your face_

_Well, it burned while I cried_

'_Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name! _

I felt his form stiffen for all five seconds before he relaxed and began to kiss me back. I completely forgot about my shoulder and my hands fell to his neck where as his reached up and buried themselves in my hair at the back of my neck. It wasn't long before we had to pull apart for air and to my surprise; he buried his face in the crook of my neck. I closed my eyes. "If we're going to die…..I want to at least die with you."

He suddenly chuckled, which caught me off guard. "You are _so _easy to manipulate." He smirked against my neck.

My eyes popped open and I began to tremble. "No…" I shook my head back and forth.

"Did you really think your little confession could stop me from becoming god?"

"No!" I screamed and tried to push him away, but he kept a firm grip on my right arm. "Let go of him Jenova! You fucking bitch!"

He growled low and dangerously and tightened his grip on my arm so that it began to hurt. I actually felt my bones begin to crack. "_No one _talks about mother that way, not even a weak, human like you."

And then the bones in my arm shattered completely.

I let out a scream of agony and pain that I'm pretty sure Zack and Cloud heard it from outside. My arm hung limp at my side as I backed away, whimpering and crying from him. He picked up Masamune from its spot and twisted the tip so it was directed at me.

"You will die, along with the other humans in this world. And I will become god." The katana came at me and I could only scream.

"STOP IT!"

"NO!"

_I set fire to the rain_

_And I threw us into the flames_

_Where it felt something die_

'_Cause I knew that that was the last time, the last time! _

SHUNK

Blood sprayed the air.

Sephiroth's face was one of complete shock and the Masamune fell from his hands and impeded into the metal floor. Both he and I looked down and saw the tip of a large sword protruding from his stomach.

Blood immediately began to seep and then the tip was yanked out. He staggered forwards and I rushed forwards to catch him, his weight nearly bringing me to my knees. "Zack, what are you-?!"

"C'mon! We gotta get out of here!" Zack put the Buster Sword on his back and managed to carry the wounded former general out of the burning reactor while I quickly trailed after them.

"Cloud! Toss me a Restore!" I shouted at him and the blond tossed me a Restore Materia.

"Shell, you can't!"

"I have to! I can't let him die! Cure3!" I shouted at the Materia and it instantly began to heal Sephiroth's stomach wound. It closed up completely and my hand shook as I dropped the Materia, hearing it softly land on the ground before me.

_Sometimes I wake up by the door,_

_The heart you caught must be looking for you_

_Even now when we're already over_

_I can't help myself from looking for you_

The former general sat up and observed his surroundings. I saw his eyes, the old him. He was back.

"Seph…" Zack whispered in shock.

"I…" he seemed a lose for words and he shook his head rapidly. "I can't stay here. I have to go." He looked at my face and looked incredible guilty. He quickly got up and began to walk off.

"Seph, no!" Zack lunged, wrapping his arms around the man's waist, which brought him down to his knees. He propped himself up with his hands, staring down at the ground.

Wincing, I shakily got up and collapsed on my knees in front of him. "Seph…." I whispered, my bloody left hand going up to touch his face. "It's not your fault…."

Zack had let go moments ago and that's when the three of us began to see the man before us tremble.

PLIP

My eyes slightly widened when I saw a tear drop onto the ground and I scooted forwards a little, my hand going up to touch his back. "You can cry….it's alright. Just let it out." I whispered and immediately, he whimpered, which is completely not a thing he would do and then he began to cry.

_I set fire to the rain_

_Watched it pour as I touched your face_

_Well, it burned while I cried_

'_Cause I heard it screaming out your name, your name! _

The former general sat on his knees and had his head on my chest, right underneath my chin. One hand gripped the back of my jacket while the other was over his mouth, trying to stifle the crying. I felt my own tears fall down my cheeks and I closed my eyes, crying silently along with him.

His crying soon turned to wailing and he shook his head back and forth. "F-forgive me…" he choked out, still clutching the back of my jacket. "Forgive me….."

Cloud was healing my shoulder as we just sat there and watched the General of Shinra cry for the very first time in his life. The Mako Reactor burned to the ground nearby and the town was beginning to settle down.

_I set fire to the rain_

_And I threw us into the flames_

_Where it felt something die_

'_Cause I knew that that was the last time, the last time, ohhhhhhh! _

"Thanks Cloud." I said hoarsely when he finished healing my shoulder. My right arm was in a good sling while Zack lifted the passed-out soldier onto his back. Cloud picked up Tifa; she would need medical attention soon.

"So, what do we do now?" Cloud asks.

I looked up into the sky, seeing the black smoke. "I guess we run, go find Genesis. Angeal's gone, but we can go look for Genesis."

And with that, we headed off to the chopper I came in.

_Oh nooooo_

_Let it burn, oh_

_Let it burn_

_Let it burn…._


End file.
